2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka commits to 2019 event

FedExCup points leader Xander Schauffele returning to Austin

AUSTIN, Texas – Reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year Brooks Koepka has committed to the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, tournament officials announced Wednesday. Current FedExCup points leader Xander Schauffele has also committed to return to Austin when the top 64 players in the world head to Austin Country Club from March 27-31 to compete in the only individual match-play event on the PGA TOUR schedule.

Koepka, who will be making his fourth career start at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, earned 2018 PGA TOUR Player of the Year honors on the strength of wins at the 2018 U.S. Open and 2018 PGA Championship during the 2017-18 season. The 28-year-old American was forced to miss the 2018 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play with a wrist injury, but in three prior appearances, he has advanced out of the group stage twice including a 3&2 loss in the quarterfinals in 2016 to the eventual champion Jason Day as his best appearance.

In only three starts this season, Koepka has already posted a victory with his win at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES which included a back-nine 29 to hold off Gary Woodland. The victory helped push Koepka to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career, but he has since been overtaken by Justin Rose and resides at No. 2 in the world rankings.

Schauffele surged into the top spot in the FedExCup standings after recording victories in consecutive starts at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Sentry Tournament of Champions. At the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the 25-year-old tied the course record with an 11-under 62 in the final round to come from five shots back for the victory. Schauffele currently holds a narrow 28-point lead in the FedExCup standings over 2013 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion Matt Kuchar, who has already posted two victories this season.

Schauffele, a San Diego, California native, made his first appearance at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2018 and went 2-1 in group play but failed to advance to the round of 16 after falling 3&1 to Sergio Garcia in the third match of group play. If Schauffele were to win any of the last three World Golf Championships events of the 2018-19 season, he’d join Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson as the only players in history to win multiple World Golf Championships events in a given season.

Tickets for the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play remain on sale and are expected to sell out for a fourth consecutive year with daily grounds tickets available for purchase for the first time since the tournament moved to Austin. Weekly grounds tickets remain on sale and total onsite attendance is once again limited to 10,000 per day.

With a rare, match-play format consisting of the top 64 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play field annually consists of the very best players from around the world from all Tours. Fans attending the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play have the opportunity to see players like Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and defending champion Bubba Watson in the field.

As one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most exciting and biggest events on golf’s calendar.

For more information, follow the tournament’s social pages: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit www.dellmatchplay.com.